北方海航道开拓的历史进程--以分段航行为视角

The Historical Process of Opening up the Northern Sea Route——From the perspective of sectional navigation

随着地理学、地图学、航海术与造船术的发展,15世纪后期西欧国家开始寻找从海上前往印度和中国的航道。15世纪末,葡萄牙率先打通经好望角前往印度的新航道,即“南方航道”。但这条航道要绕过漫长而炎热的非洲海岸线,是一条艰难的航线。受世界海洋一体理论、开放极地海等地理学说的影响,部分欧洲人相信存在一条从欧洲北方前往东方和新大陆的航道,即北极航道。①由于葡萄牙和西班牙垄断了南方航道,加之本身地理位置比较偏北,后起的航海国家英国、荷兰于15世纪末开始将探索的目光转向北极航道。由此,开启了人类北极航道探索的漫长历程。根据地圆学说,无论向西航行,还是向东航行都可以到达印度和中国。

The Northern Sea Route is the part of the Arctic Northeast Sea Route adjacent to Russian territory.Historically speaking,the opening up of the Northern Sea Route is a very tortuous and long process.Before the early seventeenth century,the inhabitants of Russia,mainly of the Pomors,completed opening the western section of the Northern Sea Route with their superb shipbuilding and navigation skills.From 1630s to 1640s,some pathfinders completed opening the middle and eastern sections of the Northern Sea Route during Russia’s territory expansion into Siberia.In the 1730s,the Russian government launched the ten-year-long Great Northern Expedition.Lena-Yenisei detachment led by Pronchishchev completed opening the eastern sea of the Taymyr Peninsula from the Olenyok River to the Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands.From 1878 to 1879,the expedition led by the Swedish explorer Nordenskiold completed opening the wester and northern seas of the Taymyr Peninsula from the Pyasina River around Cape Chelyuskin to the Komsomolskaya Pravda Islands after full preparation and careful planning,and also completed the entire voyage of the Northern Sea Route from west to east for the first time.